I am new to this, but am floundering a little and am sure some of you might be able to help. Both my parents have late stage dementia and are still living at home (and it's now way too late to try and move them). My mother has had dementia for over ten years and has been bed-bound for over three. My father was diagnosed a year ago or so but has gone downhill fast in the last month or so. He is now, just recently, at the stage where he can only just walk, even with a frame (although we are hoping that is due to an infection). He is very frail and weak but also very determined. We now have 24 hour care.
We are self-funding and the cost of all this is eye-watering. Just in the last week we have had to introduce night-time 'sleepers', although I imagine this will become night-time 'carers' as my dad had the carer up at 2am trying to go for a walk around the bedroom.
We have a private carer (amazing) between 9-5 Mon-Fri then an agency carer and night sleeper between 5pm and 9pm and all the time at weekends. I know we receive attendance allowance for my mum, and have done for a while, but as my dad has gone down hill so fast and was on top of all this until recently, I would like some advice about if there is anything else we can claim as self-funders? Assume I should now apply for attendance allowance for him, probably at the higher rate, but is there anything else? We are paying out tens of thousands of pounds and want to claim for anything my mum and dad are entitled to. I read about Admiral Nurses on this site and think it could be a great helpline for our fabulous carer to use as I know she suffers from dealing with them alone for much of the time, although we have extra carers calling three times a day to help with my mum (and now my dad). There are also lots of people/friends coming and going. I am an only child and live quite a long way away but spend a day there every week.
Any help and advice gratefully received. Sorry for long post.
We are self-funding and the cost of all this is eye-watering. Just in the last week we have had to introduce night-time 'sleepers', although I imagine this will become night-time 'carers' as my dad had the carer up at 2am trying to go for a walk around the bedroom.
We have a private carer (amazing) between 9-5 Mon-Fri then an agency carer and night sleeper between 5pm and 9pm and all the time at weekends. I know we receive attendance allowance for my mum, and have done for a while, but as my dad has gone down hill so fast and was on top of all this until recently, I would like some advice about if there is anything else we can claim as self-funders? Assume I should now apply for attendance allowance for him, probably at the higher rate, but is there anything else? We are paying out tens of thousands of pounds and want to claim for anything my mum and dad are entitled to. I read about Admiral Nurses on this site and think it could be a great helpline for our fabulous carer to use as I know she suffers from dealing with them alone for much of the time, although we have extra carers calling three times a day to help with my mum (and now my dad). There are also lots of people/friends coming and going. I am an only child and live quite a long way away but spend a day there every week.
Any help and advice gratefully received. Sorry for long post.